Judge Rejects Challenge to Albuquerque Minimum Wage Ordinance

ALBUQUERQUE— On May 30, 2017, Second Judicial District Court Judge Alan Malott rejected a legal challenge to Albuquerque’s Minimum Wage Ordinance, denying a motion to dismiss a minimum wage case, Atyani et al. v. Bonfantine et al., No. D-202-CV-2016-2775, filed by employees of Kelly’s Brewpub against the former owners of the restaurant, Dennis and Janice Bonfantine.

The Bonfantines’ former employees have alleged that Kelly’s illegally required workers to kick back three dollars per hour from their tips after the tipped minimum wage officially increased in Albuquerque from $2.13 per hour to approximately $5.16 per hour. To defend against these claims, the Bonfantines argued that the Albuquerque minimum wage was invalid because it was increased through a voter initiative that put a summary of the wage increase on the 2012 ballot rather than the entire ordinance. Judge Malott rejected this argument, ruling that any challenge to how the 2012 election was conducted should have been made right after the election.

“Thousands of hard-working families can breathe easier now, knowing that the minimum wage in Albuquerque isn’t going to be slashed,” said Bianca Garcia, a plaintiff in the case. “The Bonfantines should be ashamed of themselves, not only for their violations of the minimum wage ordinance, but also for trying to eliminate the Albuquerque minimum wage altogether just to avoid paying back the money they took from us. We thank the court for seeing through this bogus defense.”

Judge Malott also rejected the Bonfantines’ argument that the Albuquerque minimum wage ordinance was invalid because it “logrolled” multiple issues into one question presented to voters. Malott ruled that “logrolling” is not an issue in municipal ballot measures.

“For years, the former owners of Kelly’s took hard-earned money out of their employees’ pockets, violating Albuquerque’s minimum wage ordinance that was overwhelmingly passed by city voters in 2012,” said Elizabeth Wagoner an attorney on the case from the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty (the Center). “We’re looking forward to moving forward in this case. The Bonfantines’ employees deserve to collect every dollar they worked for and are owed.”

A similar case, Association of Commerce and Industry et al. v. City of Albuquerque et al., No. D-202-CV-2017-02314, filed in April by a group of business organizations, also asks the courts to invalidate the Albuquerque Minimum Wage Ordinance. That case, which is currently pending before Second Judicial District Court Judge Shannon Bacon, raises many of the same arguments that Judge Malott rejected in the May 30 Atyani v. Bonfantine decision.

Atyani v. Bonfantine is set to go to trial in summer 2018. Attorneys on the case are Wagoner and Tim Davis of the Center, and Shane Youtz and James Montalbano of Youtz & Valdez, P.C.